As some of my readers know, I do some monitoring of hate groups. Most often I tell you what the neo-Confederates are up to or what Newamul Khan (Razib) and Paul Wickre (Godless), the leaders of Gene Expression, are cavailing about now. However, today, I would like to introduce you to someone I've actually met and check in on from time to time -- when my stomach can bear his bile.

Edgar J. Steele is a lawyer out here in the Pacific Northwest who has represented white supremacists and anti-Semites whenever he could force his way into a case. His most notorious loss was the suit by a Native American mother and son against the Aryan Nations. Steele also tried to insinuate himself into the Idaho case in which children set dogs on authorities who had come to arrest their mother for neglect. The couple who kidnapped their children from Oregon foster care personnel at gunpoint also engaged Steele and paid the price for it -- lengthy prison sentences. The vein running through the notorious cases Steele takes are hatred of the government and contempt for Jews, people of color and homosexuals.

You can read Steele's take on his cases and other bilious matters at his site, conspiracypenpal.com.

If you were to ask Steele publicly what his beliefs are, he would go to great lengths to distance himself from his clients, such as Richard Butler, leader of the Aryan Nations hate group. But, Steele would be lying. Like fellow traveler Kirk Lyons, he is a white supremacist, himself.

Recently, Steele ended an eight-part series titled "In Defense of Racism" at his website and penned a column about the group he seems to detest most of all, probably because he credits them with having brains, something he doesn't suspect 'mud people' of.

George II is in trouble. Yes, in Iraq, but
that isn't his real problem. Yes, domestically, but that isn't his real
problem, either. Little George is in trouble with the Chosen. You
know...them. The people that really run things hereabout.

You can tell because George II has begun to get
some bad press (and we all know who owns the press, don't we?), just like
Clinton before he was impeached. Yes, Clinton was impeached. That's
what happens in the House of Representatives. Removal from office then
follows if the Senate convicts the one impeached. Of course, the
fix was in, as preannounced by Trent"I
wish I was black"Lott, and Clinton walked. Why?
Because, finally, Clinton gave in and bombed an aspirin factory, among other
strategic targets dictated by them.

George II, it turns out, does have a mind of his
own, though it appears to be warped. George thinks he's on a Mission From
God. Somehow, that line played better coming from the mouth of Dan Ackroyd
in The Blues Brothers. George believes, along with a great many
other American religious fundamentalists, that Israel's Chosen people are
entitled to all of Palestine, just like it says in the Bible. Besides,
George doesn't get raptured along with the rest of the righteous, until Biblical
prophecy is fulfilled. George seems torn between getting reelected, so he
can do more of God's work, and doing God's work right now, as enunciated by
Ariel Sharon, Israel's Prime Minister.

According to The Plan, America was to have invaded
both Iran and Syria by now. George II agrees with The Plan, basically, but
wants to wait until after the election next year. Little George is not so
stupid as to miss the fact that Afghanistan and Iraq were his first two strikes
at bat, you see. Israel finally went on a bombing mission of its own, in
Syria the other day, and thereafter received George's blessing (picture a dog
wagging his tail).

This past week, George II also was quick to add
his voice to the Chosen chorus that the Malaysian Prime Minister is an
antisemite for stating the obvious: jews rule the world. Little
George isn't as stupid as he looks (more tail wagging)./p>

In a
remarkable moment of candidness, Ariel Sharon said it best: "Every
time we do something you tell me America will do this and will do that . . . I
want to tell you something very clear: Don't worry about American pressure
on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know
it." (To his cabinet, on October 3, 2001).

Problem is, we Americans don't know it, by
and large. Blame MTV. Otherwise, we would rise up, march on
Washington and hang all the politicians from lamp posts.

The Plan, in case you haven't figured it out, is
to vanquish Israel's enemies and establish it as the undisputed ruler of the
Middle East. Well, the World, actually, but everybody agrees that can wait
until after the next American election.

. . .George II now finds himself between Iraq and a
hard place (ahem). Does he invade Iran and/or Syria and risk not being
reelected because of an instant replay of (take your pick) Afghanistan or
Iraq? Or does he wait and risk not being reelected because the Chosen
intensify the media campaign now under way against him?

. . .George I got the same treatment, you may recall,
when he declined to enter Baghdad and root out Saddam during Gulf War I.
He reasoned that evicting Iraq from Kuwait accomplished his objective, which was
clearly stated at the outset of that little dustup ("This invasion will not
stand," is what he said, if memory serves).

However, Israel didn't care a fig for Kuwait, per
se, and saw emasculation of its main military rival in the Middle East
(Iraq) as being the true objective (just like now). George I saw
things differently, thinking he couldn't possibly squander the lead he then
possessed over a broad field of Democrat contenders for the Presidency (just
like George II now).

So, George I saw his poll numbers plummet (just
like George II now) and faced mounting criticism in the controlled press (just
like George II now).

And the economy took a sudden turn for the worse
(just like now).

And, of course, George I lost to Clinton, the man
who now makes me yearn for the days when I merely was ashamed of America's
President.

Just like George II will lose when the time comes,
if he doesn't invade Syria and/or Iran soon. And the Chosen couldn't care
less, since nobody is allowed to run for President without first plighting his
troth to Israel.

Part of covering civil rights issues is being continually subjected to skepticism. I can count on doubting Thomases telling me that there are not really problems of race, gender and class in the oh-so-perfect United States. Alternatively, such folks contend that the real racists are the blacks and Hispanics, or, the real sexists are feminists, as if turning the truth upside down is convincing. Doubters will wonder why I am saying a person who shares my disapproval of the invasion of Iraq and sneers at the current occupant of the White House is one of the most repulsive white supremacists and anti-Semites in the country. I am saying it because it is true. Opposition to the war has resulted in some strange bedfellows. I believe it is important that we not be so forgiving that we accept these people, who are opposed to our dearest values, as fine folks because we have something in common with them. Steele doesn't oppose the war because he loves Muslims or out of a sense of fair play. He opposes it because he hates Jews and considers anyone who might be their enemy his friend.

Why is Edgar Steele the way he is, you may wonder. Despite having read his tirades for years and observed him in person, I can't offer a definitive answer. Steele is a short, stocky fellow with an oversized head (literally). He has a modest personal injury and business law practice, mainly in Idaho. Married and a father, he says he had prostate cancer a few years ago. Nothing in his biography suggests any particular reason why Steele should be obsessed with conspiracies and consumed by hate. But, he is.

I encourage you to get to know him better because only by knowing our enemies, especially those who sport the guise of respectability, can we effectively oppose them.

The neo-Confederate movement is important partly because of its influence on politicians, particularly in the South. Many members of the movement are religious, in their own rigid way. So, it is not surprising that neo-Confederates are among those leading efforts to impose fundamentalist Christianity on the populace. The Southern Party, one of the secessionist third parties of the neo-Confederate movement, is among groups attempting to have deposed Ten Commandments judge Roy Moorereinstated as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Much of its website is devoted to the cause.

Governor Riley - Reappoint Judge Moore!

As we have watched the situation in Alabama unfold, there are many
conclusions that are obvious.

The politically correct are determined to use the federal
judiciary to do what they have been denied at the ballot box. The people
of Alabama spoke! The politically correct do not care!

Both of the major political parties are involved. The Democrats
openly attack Christianity, the Constitution and the Principles upon
which Our County was founded. The Republicans claim they are supportive
but their actions do NOT match the words.

Today we ran across an online petition that we strongly support. A
petition to urge Alabama Republican Governor Riley to re-appoint
Judge Moore. It is certainly within his power to do so! Lets see if he
just talks or is willing to stand up for Judge Moore.

The combative tone and suggestion that the governor should be challenged is typical of the neo-Confederate method when dealing with politicians. And, usually, it has worked. That is because there is a price to pay when a politician crosses them. Georgia pols, including the previous occupant of the governor's mansion, Roy Barnes, have been casualties of neo-Confederate pressures that led to their ousters. The margin of new white, rural Southern male voters who chose Sonny Perdue for governor explains Barnes' loss. It will be interesting to see how the new governor of Alabama responds to the demand to reinstate Moore.

There is also a campaign afoot to oust U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson, the federal jurist who ordered Moore to remove the huge granite monument of the Ten Commandments from the foyer of the judicial building.

About 60 supporters of the Ten Commandments monument held a rally and launched a petition drive Friday to remove U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson from the bench. They were met by a handful of counter demonstrators.

The supporters of suspended state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and his nearly 5,300-pound monument gathered on the steps of the state Capitol to hear the organizer, the Rev. Franklin Raddish, leader of Capitol Hill Independent Baptist Ministries.

About 60 supporters of the Ten Commandments monument held a rally and launched a petition drive Friday to remove U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson from the bench. They were met by a handful of counter demonstrators.

. . .Raddish accused Thompson and other "radical" federal judges of "trying to de-christianize America. Federal judges are appointed for life with little regard of being replaced except by resigning or through death.

"There is only one mechanism in place to oppose a federal judge who has exceeded the bounds of his authority and that is through impeachment. It may take six months, eight months. It may take a year, but we won't stop. We won't break. We won't bend," Raddish said as he elicited "Amen" and "Praise the Lord" responses from the crowd.

I am not surprised to see an effort to remove Judge Thompson developing. The judge, who is African-American, is a constant target of barbs at neo-Confederate sites. The members of the movement are, of course, opposed to African-Americans participating in the political process, including serving in positions of leadership. Fortunately, the protections accorded federal judges to shield them from mob sentiments will trammel the fledging movement to impeach Thompson.

Fundamentalist pesters Casper pols

In Wyoming, a church upped the ante in a confrontation over the Ten Commandments being displayed on public property.

The Ten Commandments controversy began in September when the city was asked to remove the monument from City Park by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation. The foundation threatened legal action if the city failed to remove the monolith.

The matter was further complicated when the Westboro Baptist Church contacted the city and expressed a desire to place a monument declaring slain University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was in hell.

Last month the council decided to remove the Ten Commandments from the park and will later place it in a historical plaza where it will be surrounded by other monuments dedicated to documents vital to American legal history.

The city council expressed hope that such a move will prevent the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the Westboro Baptist Church from taking legal action against the city. And, if such action is undertaken, the council believes the move will strengthen the city's legal position.

The pastor behind the demand for a monument declaring Shepard damned is a well-known Christian fundamentalist evangelist, Fred Phelps.

CASPER, Wyo. - The City Council decided Tuesday to move a controversial Ten Commandments monument out of a park and into a plaza that will honor a variety of historic documents.

Phelps has been calling for a monument declaring that Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student who was murdered in October, 1998, went to hell because of his sexual orientation. Shepard's murder sparked a nationwide outcry for hate-crimes legislation.

Phelps threatened to sue if the city did not comply with his demand. Meanwhile, the city was threatened last month with a lawsuit from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, of Madison, Wis., if it did not remove the Ten Commandments monument from City Park.

The monument has been in the park since 1965, when it was donated to the city by the Fraternal Order of Eagles.

I believe Phelps has unintentionally highlighted a problem with trying to accommodate displays of religious artifacts on public property -- the more the government acquiesces, the more extreme the demands may become.

There is a rural legend that poor, semi-literate African-Americans misunderstood what was being said when civil rights workers came to register them to vote in the Deep South during the 1950s and '60s. They said they wanted their 'silver rights.' I don't know if the legend is true, but I like the phrase.